Commercial work and getting paid.

[sy76uk]

I've been approached today to do 6 double driveways and 75m2 of natural stone patio's on a new build development.

I've never done this direct for a commercial client before.

Am I best asking for a contract?

[lutonlagerlout]

try and find out more about the person/company sy
all the lads I know who have been knocked its on new builds mainly
the developer had a scaffold firm still waiting for a cheque 3 months after the scaffold was down
another mate fitted 10 garage doors then the developers company went bump
he couldnt legally take them back
contracts are handy but firms can still go pop,better ask for interim payments mate
LLL

[lutonlagerlout]

also our roofers who are CIS have been offered contracts for a major housebuilder that sounds like a burger

it looks good at first but its a 30 day invoice and then 30 days to pay so thats 2 months with not a penny

plus he has to supply all the materials which runs around £1500 a roof and he would be doing 3 a week

food for thought

cheers LLL

[lemoncurd1702]

Sometimes you gotta ask yourself why has he approached you. Is it because he has heard your work is good or because no other will work for him.
Don't get me wrong most developers are straight and in it for the long term, building up a base of reliable tradesmen on the way. Others though are total twats and will be doing something else next year, selling timeshares in Outer Mongolia or some other pie in sky.
If you do, do one drive at a time and get paid before the next one.

In reality if the developer is building 6 houses it's probably going to be on a build one, sell one, build another basis and you ain't going to be doing the whole contract in one hit.

Also is he expecting you to supply materials? That would set the warning bells ringing for me.
:rock:

[sy76uk]

Thank's Tony. I'm a bit dubious about taking on site work. The thing is my old gaffer is a multi millionaire and he made all his money from big site work and from the same kind of burger firms. My old gaffer couldn't lay a bed straight either.

I won't be supplying on this one. They wanted me to set it all out, lay the edgings. lay the blocks and do the patios on a full mortar bed with a 3/1 wet mix but the need it all done by July.

I told them I'm too busy (which I am) to do it all but If you get the edgings in, Ill lay the driveways. 200m2 of Tegs, screed and lay only is 3 day's work for us.

They have another site ready to go after this one which is pretty much the same. The paving will be ready in the off season which will be ideal for me.

They got my number through a recommendation.

I've heard a lot of stories about people being bumped doing this kind of work. It sent my Dad under in the late 80's.

The thing that worries me most is I don't know enough about how the money side works. I've just always put my sheet in at the end of the week and been paid -tax and NI the next.

Tempting.

[lutonlagerlout]

I suppose a lot depends on the rates
but by the sounds of it you could earn on a tenner a metre
200m in 3 days is good going prepped or not
think about 40-50 is max for us a day and a couple of days at that and you are bolloxed
LLL

[sy76uk]

The only reason it'll take 3 day's is because it's 3 different area's mate. We get 120 a day down on a road and that's 80mm's.

I'll bet you'd get twice as much natural stone or even 4 times as much brickwork done than me in a day.

[lemoncurd1702]

The only reason it'll take 3 day's is because it's 3 different area's mate. We get 120 a day down on a road and that's 80mm's.

I'll bet you'd get twice as much natural stone or even 4 times as much brickwork done than me in a day.

120 metres how many of you and does that include cutting in..
Depending on your rates I might want to hire you

[sy76uk]

2 and it's cut in. We've had over 200m2 down and finished on more occasions than I care to remember. Mostly there's 3 of us laying that kind of meterage but there was one time that mme and my younger brother had 210m2 of 200x100 CPB down in a day. Mark and cut round 3 sides and a row of demarkation blocks for a lay by. We did level all the grit out the day before hand ready to screed the morning after.

The only time you can get that type of area down is when you have everything organised properly and it's a straight run.
[img]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5506....mg]28012011035_2 by sy76uk, on Flickr
In this picture everything you can see from the harris fence in the background to the blue sheet was laid in a day by 3 men.

[img]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5033....mg]20120519_122233 by sy76uk, on Flickr
This is the 210 I laid with my brother. It took 12 hours and a few cans of monster.
Everything from the beakline past the bellmouth to the entrance.

[lutonlagerlout]

The only reason it'll take 3 day's is because it's 3 different area's mate. We get 120 a day down on a road and that's 80mm's.

I'll bet you'd get twice as much natural stone or even 4 times as much brickwork done than me in a day.

120 metres how many of you and does that include cutting in..
Depending on your rates I might want to hire you

I was first :laugh:
LLL

[sy76uk]

People that lay the kind of meterage that I used to do are not uncommon. The Firm I used to work for have a lot of gangs that do exactly the same.

If you have a big straight run, all your sand is in front of you and your blocks are only a couple of meters behind you it soon goes down.

The rates we got paid reflected that.

alot of the gangs get paid around £3 per m2.

That's one of the reasons I left.

[lemoncurd1702]

How long till you burn out SY.
:p

[ilovesettsonmondays]

3 pound a metre . I know it has gone up a great deal over the years about seven is average down here now . Was getting four up north 20 plus years ago

[ilovesettsonmondays]

Fair play on laying that much in a day though .

[lutonlagerlout]

makes me feel guilty charging 22 NOT
LLL
horses for courses of course did 13 m2 today but around 180 cuts
LLL